Crawford avalanche., 1887-06-23


terminated and The captured iags Of the dead
Confederacy viii remain In the custody Of the
War Department. President Cleveland ON
Thursday sent the following letter in regard
10 tho matter 10 tho Secretary Of War;
Il have to-day considered with moro care
ms the action aoS o scnr directing
letters 20 be addressed TO the Governors of oil
tho States. offering 20 return. II desired, 20 the
sSS Hs'' wsr os the rebellion shs
forces and afterward recovered by Gov
ernment troops; and TO tho Confederate
forces, all Of which for many years have been
packed In boxes and stored In the eel.
lar and attic of tho War Department. am OF
manner thus contemplated IL not authorised
by existing law, nor Justified a. an executive
acG request, therefore. that no further stops
inventory these dags. and adopt proper meas
uros for their preservation. Any direction as
to the nnal disposition Of them should originate
AT the request of Gov Foraker, of Ohio,
that counsel should be retained 10 institute
legal proceedings 10 enjoin the return Of the
Confederate flags TO the Governors OF the
Southern States. Gen. H. v. Boynton had Sc
lected Hon Samuel Shellabarger, OF Ohio,
apd Hon. George Il Boutwell,, Of Massachu-
setts, 10 take charge Of the case These gen.
tlemen expected TO have an application for
mandamus fled in the supreme Court OF
the district Thursday afternoon. but
were deferred by tho non-receipt OF nec-
essary telegram from Ohio The papers were
based upon the claim that tho Secretary Of
War was about to dispose Of public property
without authority OF law Tho letter OF the
President made further action by the attor-
neys unnecessary" The protests Of the
Governors Of Ohio and Iowa and the publicly
expressed indignation OF the Grand Army of
the Republic over the proposition to re-
turn the flags had the effect to
stir up much feeling throughout the
country Governor Rusk, of Wisconsin, tele-
graphed his protest TO President Cleveland,
claiming that the trophies, il surrendered,
should be given up to the States by whose
troops they were captured Governor Mar
tin, of Kansas, also wired his protest, alleg-
ing that the scheme was @an insult to
the heroic dead, ands an outrage on
their surviving comrades" The Grand
Army men throughout the entire West ales
made vigorous protests The following state
ment with regard to the Presidents action
concerning the proposed return Of tho battle
flags was made at the White House TO o rep
resentatiye OF the Associated Press:
.when the question was proposed 10 the
| President by tho Adjutant General an impor-
| tant feature suggested was the return to tho
loyal States Of the flags which had been cap
| tured by tho Confederates and retaken by our
army ut the collapse OF the rebellion. They.
| with such Confederate nags rs had been cap
tHssd @ t5Sm the sne%y en- sy cur t troops s had y
| for and neglected, packed nway in boxes In the
| cellar OF tho War Department.. and had boon
removed 10 the attic as bottsr place for their
-The disposition OF the nass, which seemed 20
be answering no good purpose whore they were,
was the main point and the consideration was
| presented 10 the President that some flags had
| been returned 70 loyal States, upon their re-
/ quest In individual cascs, and the rest, II de-
sired. might az we'll be returned together. Tho
/ return of the Confederate flags which were
| with the others In the department was sug-
| gested, but there was not the slightest thought
rags now held by any state.
Tho right Of the department to make these
| returns being questioned by the President such
| right was distinctly asserted, and preccdcnts
| alleged, and thereupon his oral assent was
| dismissed from hts mind until comment there
| upon within the last day or two brought IL again
/ TO his attention, whom, upon personally exam
| lining the law and considering the subject moro
carefully, he satisfied himself that no disposi-
| tion OF these nses could be made without Con-
| grossionsl action: whereupon he directed o
suspension Of operations by the letter made
public this evening
DURING the last fiscal year the customs col
lections upon imports from Canada aggregated
sS2l4,4SS